Motion for Blood or Urine Sample to be Split

New Jersey DWI attorneys preparing to defend DWI / DUI cases typically file pretrial motions that can improve an accused driver's prospects for a successful outcome. A pretrial motion is a formal request to the court to take a certain legal action. One motion in New Jersey driving while intoxicated cases is a request to have a blood or urine sample split to allow for independent testing.

Chemical test results are typically a key piece of prosecution evidence in a driving under the influence case. A chemical test result that shows a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 percent or greater - the legal per se limit for driving - can seem like damaging evidence. However, chemical tests can also be a potent weapon for the defense.

When motions to split blood or urine samples are approved, the defense attorney can send the sample to a private lab for testing. An independent forensic toxicologist can analyze the driver's blood or urine sample and determine whether proper testing procedures were strictly followed.

Motions to split blood or urine samples can be extraordinarily fruitful in drunk driving defense. The collection of blood and urine samples must be done according to strict guidelines, and police, phlebotomists, and lab technicians don't always follow that protocol. If the sample wasn't collected, stored and analyzed correctly, the driver's BAC result may be inflated.

Independent testing can be done to show that the sample naturally produced its own alcohol, or neogenesis of alcohol. This can be caused by bacteria that entered the sample through properly unsealed tubes.

Testing can also show if there was not enough preservative or anti-coagulant in the tubes, which could result in clotting or micro-clotting that could contaminate the sample.

Blood samples should be drawn with sterile, dry hypodermic needles and a syringe, or a clean, dry vacuum-sealed container. The person drawing the blood must not use alcohol to clean the driver's skin, or the equipment used in the collection.

The blood should be drawn into a tube that contains a mix of anticoagulant and preservative. If the mixture of the anticoagulant and preservative isn't correct, the results of the test may be invalid.

Sometimes a driver's blood or urine sample in a DWI / DUI case gets lost or destroyed. Police and prosecutors aren't required to collect evidence that benefits the defendant, but once the evidence is collected, they have a duty to preserve it. If authorities fail to preserve that evidence, a skilled NJ drunk driving lawyer will request sanctions which may result in the exclusion of the evidence or the dismissal of the case.

Chemical test results are compelling evidence for the prosecution in a New Jersey DWI / DUI case, but a test result of .08 percent or greater BAC doesn't equal an automatic conviction. A New Jersey DWI defense lawyer skilled in drunk driving defense may make a motion to have a blood or urine sample split and have it analyzed by an independent expert to create reasonable doubt in the defendant's guilt.

The DWI attorneys at Levow DWI Law, P.C. have undergone extensive training in blood and urine testing. We attend national seminars to learn about the complexities and issues involved in this testing so that we can use this knowledge and information to fight for you.

Please call Levow DWI Law, P.C. at (877) 593-1717, or email us at evanlevow@newjerseydwilawyer.com so that we can analyze your DWI charge and tell you how we can help you. We offer a free consultation.